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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. current — of water
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. current — happening now
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. can — a tin
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cold — not warm
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. sharp — clever
  23. current — electric
  24. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com